Johannesburg traffic load shedding

William Nicol Drive on Friday 8 November – Photo: Lula,a Teka / Twitter

Load shedding: Johannesburg traffic severely affected by blackouts

Traffic lights are out, and other electronic issues on the roads and rails have caused a Johannesburg traffic nightmare. Load shedding is taking the blame.

Johannesburg traffic load shedding

William Nicol Drive on Friday 8 November – Photo: Lula,a Teka / Twitter

Despite load shedding officially terminating at 5:00 on Friday morning, a number of regions in Johannesburg have been hit by the alleged hangover of the power cuts. Some of the most-frequented roads in the municipality have been blocked-up, as traffic lights and other signalling devices remain switched off.

Load shedding: Traffic latest in Johannesburg for Friday 8 November

Eskom implemented an overnight Stage 2 load shedding schedule. Their bid to reduce the chaos may have come back to bite them on the backside. Power simply hasn’t been restored in vital areas, and major commuter routes have not been spared. These are the latest traffic issues linked to the power cuts:

  • Roodepoort CBD is jammed, many routes in the West Rand experiencing heavy congestion.
  • Multiple routes across Fourways and Bryanston are experiencing severe traffic backlogs
  • William Nicol / N1 Highway ramps, on Main Road, Douglas, and Grosvenor are directly affected, too:

Gautrain services on Friday cancelled

It’s not just road users, either. The Gautrain rail system is struggling badly. Services running to Midrand, Sandton and even OR Tambo International Airport are currently offline. Despite running a replacement bus service, Gautrain have advised passengers to make “alternate travel arrangements”.

“Due to a power outage, there is no train service between Midrand and Park stations & no trains from Sandton to OR Tambo. We urge passengers to make alternate transport arrangements until further notice.”

“There is no train service between Marlboro and Park station and between Sandton and OR Tambo. A bus service is available between affected stations but we urge passengers to make alternate transport arrangements until further notice.”

Gautrain statement

AKA shares his load shedding frustrations

As it transpires, even the rich and famous have been left gatvol by the electricity chaos. AKA has Tweeted his rage over the situation, confirming that he is still fighting with the impracticalities of the load shedding schedule.

Eskom have so far been silent on the issue, despite several attempts to get an answer from them. Load shedding and its after-effects are being blamed for the traffic chaos across Johannesburg, and in true Eskom style, their emergency measures may have only created another crisis.